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MCL is young adult story, while TBOY is teen.

Sad ending is not a bad thing as long as it is logical and consistent with the plot and character. It is much better than a forced and cheap happy ending. The "after taste" after the last episode makes this drama lingers longer.

The Blood of Youth

Maybe you would like "Stand by Me" aka "Dream of Chang'an" too. It is a serious palace historical drama that is taking inspiration from a real emperor from Tang Dynasty.

Or, you might like "The Longest Day in Chang'an"

Tang Lianyue

Interesting points. What should it be then to satisfy you?

You should know your preference/ purpose. Some people watch this for Cheng Yi or other casts. Some other for the genre (wuxia, investigation, mystery), or the theme (brotherhood, chivalry, etc).

Once you know what you like, you will watch this drama for your own good, not because people say it is good.

The blood spitting here is very minimal (!) in comparison to other C-drama.

IMO, because the brotherhood among the three MLs is very lively and refreshing. Their character developments are wonderful to see. No toxicity. Full maturity. It is serious, but funny. It tells a "tragedy", but gives us a ton of comedy.

It is a good drama. To understand 100% of the story, watch it till the end. You won't regret your experience.

This drama can be your starting point to enjoy C-drama, especially wuxia genre (martial arts story). Particularly this drama, the romance is only 30% of the story. Mostly, it is about brotherhood, chivalry, and adventure.

It is martial arts story, but their styling is like they are having superpower/ anime/ fantasy like. It is just the creativity that sets this drama apart from traditional wuxia. If you like palace drama, 50% of this drama is telling palace politics, too, but in fictional empire. This blending of martial arts world and palace story is what makes this drama superb.

There are some possibilities, IMO. Xiao Se vs Ao Yu is not covered in the drama yet. Baili and Nanjue still have unfinished business.

TTEOM and LAR have their own strength. Each has unique story and technicality in the drama making.

LAR main story is around the demons. LAR main theme is that good and evil is not black and white. Don't fall into prejudice and follow the law of nature. While TTEOM is the Devil God. TTEOM main theme is the struggle against destiny and prejudice, freedom to be your own self.

Both stories are heart wrenching and ML FL love are beautiful, but the ending of LAR feels better. LAR gives us happiness and closure, but TTEOM frustrates us with the open ending. LAR like ending is what xianxia should end, IMO.

What is it that is shifted?

Jump to episode 25, start the angsty part early.

I have watched that review. I don't agree to most ideas she proposed, except for one thing. It is true that the blood vomiting scenes in TTEOM are pretty exaggerated and look ugly. There is no scaling on how the blood should be spat out. Every time there is heavy blooding, every one is still healthy and okay after that. So, the blood seems like a decoration. The correlation between the amount of blood and the level on injury is near zero in TTEOM, IMO.

After watching Love and Redemption, I can compare how blood vomiting scenes here and there are executed. I prefer the one in Love and Redemption, because it is used to indicates severe injuries and it gives rise the feeling of fear that ML is getting weaker and weaker, and he will die. However, generally, I don't like watching blood vomiting in any drama. I hope the future dramas would control it and make it more realistic.

If you watch the drama carefully, LLH eagerly look for his brother's corpse is only after he learn that Di Fei Sheng is still alive. Before, he even doesn't want to come back to jianghu. He always has a guilty feeling, believing that he is accountable to his brother's death. However, the purpose for the finding is to give his brother proper burial. So, LLH is not an idiot. He is a kind person that cherishes relationship he has.

That mobile house reminds me the Howl's Moving Castle. So creative!

Your points are valid. LXY is truly pathetic and pitiful. However, the essence of MLC's story is to show how a pathetic and pitiful person can feel differently positive about himself after tragedies. This is what we call a mature/ positive character development. From being angry to calm, from being vengeful to forgive, from being ambitious to having new purpose of life, from being miserable to hopeful again, from isolating himself to coming back to society. I am afraid if we follow your logic about how a person must behave after tragedy, do you suggest LXY to kill himself or to revenge?

MLC is a Buddhist story, IMO. In Buddhism, suffering is inherent part of life. Freedom from suffering can only be attained through letting go your worldly ambitions. From layman perspective, LXY/ LLH is like an idiot, but actually he has reached what we called "enlightment".

I don't think this drama is draggy. When you love a show so much, you don't want it to end so soon. Even, you want it to have season 2.

Very good analysis. I am also moved by the dialogue between LLH and FDB in this episode.

Another one is in the last episode, when LLH talked to Yun Bi Qiu about how he changed to his present self. I learn from that scenes, how the most meaningful life can be acquired through the simplest way of life.